Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator presents one of the most demanding workloads in the benchmark database, and the combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER produces a data set that clearly illustrates where the performance boundaries lie. The measured frames per second across resolutions and settings show a system that is capable of smooth flight in lower presets but quickly becomes constrained as visual fidelity increases. This analysis examines the resolution scaling, the combo's standing among tested hardware, and the specific roles the CPU and GPU play in determining the final frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is not linear; it reveals a system transitioning from a balanced state to one heavily reliant on the graphics processor. At the Low preset, the average frame rate falls from 111 FPS at 1920x1080 to 89 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 22 FPS. Moving to 3840x2160, the average drops further to 66 FPS. This scaling from 1080p to 4K at Low settings represents a 40.5% decrease in average frame rate, indicating that even at the lowest graphical load, the resolution increase places significant stress on the rendering pipeline.

The pattern intensifies at higher settings. At the High preset, the average FPS is 65 at 1920x1080, 52 at 2560x1440, and 39 at 3840x2160. The drop from 1080p to 4K here is 26 FPS, a 40% reduction, which is proportionally similar to the Low preset but starts from a lower baseline. The Medium preset shows a similar trend, with averages of 86 FPS at 1080p, 70 FPS at 1440p, and 51 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset yields the lowest starting point, with 62 FPS at 1080p, dropping to 50 FPS at 1440p and 37 FPS at 4K.

What this scaling data indicates is that the limiting component changes with resolution. At 1920x1080, the frame rates across presets (62-111 FPS) suggest the CPU can still feed the GPU, but the wide spread between Low and Ultra (49 FPS) shows the GPU is already a significant factor. At 3840x2160, the spread narrows to 29 FPS (37-66 FPS), and the absolute values are much lower. This compression of performance at 4K strongly suggests the RTX 2070 SUPER is the primary bottleneck, as the pixel throughput demand outpaces the CPU's ability to remain the limiting factor. The data shows a component that is more CPU-bound at 1080p and progressively more GPU-bound as resolution climbs.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested combinations for Microsoft Flight Simulator, this pairing of the Ryzen 5 5500X3D and RTX 2070 SUPER sits at rank 1697 out of 2996 total combos. This places it in the 56.6th percentile of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms a slight majority of configurations but is far from the top tier. The rank is a holistic measure, but it aligns with the observed FPS data: the combo is capable of playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p with adjusted settings, but it is not a high-end performer in this specific simulation.

The ranking context is important because Microsoft Flight Simulator is known to be exceptionally demanding, often pushing even flagship hardware to its limits. A rank in the middle of the pack for this game indicates that the combo is adequate for a standard experience but will not deliver the highest fidelity visuals at high resolutions. The data shows that the combo's performance is sufficient for 1080p gaming at all presets, with the Low preset even exceeding 100 FPS, but it falls short of the 60 FPS target at 4K on any preset. The rank of 1697, when viewed against the measured FPS, suggests that this is a pairing suited for mainstream 1080p or modest 1440p gaming in this title, rather than a high-refresh-rate or 4K solution.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer. It operates with a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz. Its most notable feature is the large 96 MB shared L3 cache, which is a hallmark of the X3D series and is designed to improve gaming performance by reducing memory latency. The processor's benchmark scores support its gaming focus: it achieves a Passmark single-thread score of 2941 and a multithread score of 20363.

In the context of Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU's role is to manage the extensive simulation logic, including flight physics, weather systems, and world detail. The game is known to be sensitive to single-thread performance, and the Ryzen 5 5500X3D's single-thread score of 2941 places it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, which is a strong indicator of its capability in this area. The large L3 cache is also beneficial, as the game's streaming of terrain and object data can benefit from having more data readily accessible to the cores.

However, the benchmark data for this specific game shows that the CPU is not the primary constraint at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 111 FPS, which is a high frame rate that suggests the CPU is feeding the GPU adequately. The fact that the frame rate drops significantly when moving to 4K Low (66 FPS) indicates that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor, not the CPU. The CPU's performance in synthetic tests, such as a floating-point math score of 34511 and an integer math score of 60033, shows it has the computational headroom for complex simulations, but the game's engine appears to be more heavily influenced by the GPU's rendering capabilities at higher resolutions. The processor's 12 threads are sufficient for the game's threading model, and its strong single-thread performance ensures it does not bottleneck the system at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates provide a complete picture of the combo's performance across twelve distinct configurations. At 1920x1080, the system delivers an average of 111 FPS on Low, 86 FPS on Medium, 65 FPS on High, and 62 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 73 FPS and a maximum of 99 FPS, indicating a playable range with some fluctuation. The High and Ultra presets at 1080p are both above 60 FPS, which is a solid result for a flight simulator, where frame pacing can be more important than raw speed.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 89 FPS on Low, 70 FPS on Medium, 52 FPS on High, and 50 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 80 FPS, meaning the frame rate can dip just below the 60 FPS threshold during heavy scenes. The High and Ultra presets at 1440p fall below 60 FPS, with averages of 52 and 50 FPS respectively, which is still playable but not ideal for a smooth experience.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops considerably. The system averages 66 FPS on Low, 51 FPS on Medium, 39 FPS on High, and 37 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset is the only one with reported minimum and maximum values, showing a range of 44 to 59 FPS. All presets at 4K, except Low, fail to maintain a 60 FPS average, and the Ultra preset's 37 FPS average is below the threshold for a consistently smooth experience. The data shows a clear step-down in performance with each resolution increase, confirming that the GPU is the limiting factor at 1440p and 4K, while the CPU manages to keep up at 1080p.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is based on the Turing architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. Its core clocks are 1605 MHz base and 1770 MHz boost, and it contains 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The GPU's compute capability is rated at 9.062 TFLOPS for FP32, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 18169 in Passmark G3D and 7557 in GPU compute, placing it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs.

The GPU's role in Microsoft Flight Simulator is to render the vast and detailed environments, including terrain, clouds, and aircraft models. The 8 GB of VRAM is a critical factor, as the game is known to be memory-hungry at higher resolutions and settings. The measured FPS data suggests that the 8 GB frame buffer is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p at all presets, but at 4K, the combination of high pixel count and detailed textures may be pushing against the memory limit, contributing to the lower frame rates.

The performance scaling across settings at each resolution points to the GPU being the primary bottleneck. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 49 FPS (111 vs. 62), showing that the GPU's rendering load is the main variable. At 4K, the difference is just 29 FPS (66 vs. 37), which indicates that the GPU is saturated even at Low settings, and increasing the preset has a diminishing impact on frame rate because the core is already fully utilized. The RTX 2070 SUPER's boost clock of 1770 MHz is relatively modest by modern standards, and the data suggests it cannot sustain high frame rates at 4K in this demanding title. The GPU's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Arc B570 and Arc A750, have similar average benchmark scores, but in this specific game, the RTX 2070 SUPER's performance is defined by its 8 GB memory capacity and Turing architecture's capabilities.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Microsoft Flight Simulator at 60 FPS on a 1080p monitor?

A: Yes, at 1920x1080, the measured average FPS is above 60 for all presets: 111 FPS on Low, 86 FPS on Medium, 65 FPS on High, and 62 FPS on Ultra.

Q: What is the best resolution for this system to maintain a 60 FPS average?

A: At 2560x1440, only the Low preset achieves a 60 FPS average (89 FPS). The Medium preset averages 70 FPS, which is above 60, but its minimum FPS of 59 indicates occasional dips. For a consistent 60 FPS average, 1080p is the most reliable resolution across all presets.

Q: How does the CPU's cache size affect performance in this game?

A: The Ryzen 5 5500X3D has a 96 MB shared L3 cache, which is larger than typical processors. This is designed to reduce memory latency and can be beneficial for games like Microsoft Flight Simulator that stream large amounts of world data. The CPU's strong single-thread score of 2941 supports its capability in this simulation.

Q: Is the RTX 2070 SUPER's 8 GB of VRAM sufficient for 4K gaming in this title?

A: The measured data at 3840x2160 shows average FPS ranging from 37 on Ultra to 66 on Low. While the game runs, the low frame rates suggest the GPU is heavily stressed, and the 8 GB VRAM may be a limiting factor at this resolution with high-detail textures.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: This specific combination of the Ryzen 5 5500X3D and RTX 2070 SUPER is ranked 1697 out of 2996 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the upper half of all tested configurations, indicating it is a mid-range performer for this specific game.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between the High and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 52 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 50 FPS. The difference is only 2 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset offers minimal performance cost over High at this resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user's target resolution and preference for frame rate consistency. For a 1920x1080 display, the Ultra preset is the best choice, as it delivers an average of 62 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset is nearly identical in performance at 65 FPS, so users can choose between the two based on visual preference, but Ultra provides the highest fidelity without a meaningful FPS penalty.

For 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, as it averages 70 FPS and provides a playable experience with a minimum of 59 FPS. The High and Ultra presets drop to averages of 52 and 50 FPS respectively, which are noticeably less smooth. The Low preset at 1440p achieves 89 FPS but sacrifices visual quality. The Medium preset strikes a balance between performance and visual detail for this resolution.

For 3840x2160, the data shows that no preset achieves a 60 FPS average. The Low preset is the most playable, with an average of 66 FPS, but it is a significant visual downgrade. The Medium preset averages 51 FPS with a minimum of 44 FPS, which may be acceptable for slower-paced flight, but it will struggle in dense urban areas or during fast maneuvers. Given the constraints, users at 4K should prioritize the Low preset for smoother performance, or accept the lower frame rates of Medium if visual fidelity is more important. The Ultra and High presets at 4K are not recommended for a responsive experience, as they hover in the 37-39 FPS range.